We are delighted to announce that The Gregory Mills Foundation is continuing their relationship with Disability Africa.
You can learn more about their work here: https://www.disability-africa.org
The project in which we have become involved is the Sierra Leone Inclusion Project. It serves 128 disabled young people (ages 0 – 18) and offers them a safe, stimulating, educational environment running 5 days a week throughout the year.
The Playscheme can:
Instantaneously end a child’s isolation
Be an appropriately stimulating educational environment for a child with an impairment
Help children with impairments develop vital coordination, social and communication skills
Change the negative attitudes and low expectations of family members and the wider community
Provide a context for assessment of educational and medical needs and a springboard for development and delivery of vital community-based services
Make a profound impact on a child’s mental health. Play is key to children processing their emotions, developing coping strategies, enhancing self-esteem, and learning to express themselves
A second grant made by the Foundation will fully fund their team of dedicated, trained playworkers for a further 6 months beyond the original 8 months. Playworkers are the agents of change that enable this project to provide a wide range of life-changing support to previously neglected disabled children and are essential to building an inclusive future. As children develop, they will act as Classroom Assistants to support children at school. The playworkers assume (albeit informally) the roles of teachers, social workers, healthcare assistants, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and, most importantly, friends. They are the local experts in the field of ‘disability’ and inclusion. At all times, they represent powerful advocates for the rights and needs of disabled young people in their community.
